Summum Concert Series
Ambrose Akinmusire Interview
In collaboration with Summum Concert Series, we had the privilege of having a brief chat with the one and only Ambrose Akinmusire.
In a brief conversation, whe has shared deep thoughts: the heart of his quartet, his current inspirations, the purpose of his music, the growth during this tough past year and so many other interesting things!!!
We hope you can enjoy as much as we do!!!
In&OutJazz: Yo! Ambrose!
Ambrose Akinmusire: Hey, how’re you doing?
Hey, man. Good to see you, man, good to hear you.
Nice to see and hear you too.
Are you all good?
Yeah, I’m good. Thanks for rescheduling. I went into the room like maybe five or ten minutes late, but I didn’t see you.
Oh, man. I had another meeting, but it’s all right, man. Thank you for joining me right now. And we’ll just head straight to the interview. It’s going to be quick, so don’t worry about it.
Cool.
Yeah, it’s a true honor to have you with us. Welcome to In&OutJazz. You might as well know us already, but we’re an independent journal that covers all types of music, really. But we draw our main focus onto the avant-garde music. And yeah, we’re a couple, actually a bunch of collaborators working to give a shout-out to all the artists out there that are doing, you know…
I didn’t realize my video was off.
Oh, man, look at you, all beautiful, all pretty. That’s good.
Hey, man, I’m sitting in my robe, it’s been a long day already.
Anyways, as I was saying, we’re a bunch of collaborators trying to give a shout-out to all you artists out there that are pushing the edge. And man, your name stands out significantly. I mean, I gotta tell you, you’ve been, you know, guiding in this music world now for a while. And bro, I have to say, I’m really, really thankful for having the opportunity to have this brief conversation with you. And I have to thank also Summum Concert Series for having programmed you and your quartet and their festival. So, yeah, let’s just jump right into the first question, which is really easy. How are you doing? Are you actually looking forward to coming to Madrid again under this exciting program by Summum?
Yeah, of course. I mean, I’m doing good. I’m feeling very grateful to be able to make music for a living and to be able to play with such amazing musicians and to have developed with such amazing musicians for so long. And I’m especially excited to come to Madrid. And also Barcelona, because I don’t ever play there for some reason.
Oh, is it your first time?
No, it’s not my first time. But, you know, I go to other places way more often. You know, I go to Paris and, you know, all parts of France and Germany and other places like that fairly often, but not so much Spain. So, yeah, I’m excited to go there and experience the culture and the food and the music.
There you go.
Happy exchange.
I think you guys will catch a nice weather, too.
I hope so.
That’s good, that’s good. Tell us a little bit about your, you know, for so long quartet. I guess you’re bringing your fellow musician friends to the city. But tell us a little bit. What do you appreciate from them as a band? And what are the aspects that you admire most from each one of them [Sam Harris, Harish Raghavan and Justin Brown]?
Well, I think, I’m trying to think of, I mean, they’re all so different, but I think that the things that they all share are a love for the music and also a curiosity to explore. Every time we come together, everyone’s in different places and checking out different things or searching for stuff and there’s an exchange, even if it’s not verbal, it can be nonverbal and subconscious. But it’s just, you know, I think it’s very easy to get comfortable, especially when you become some sort of successful. You know, you get some gigs and, you know, you figure out what works. It’s hard to then continue searching and risk getting rid of that thing that you’ve already determined works. So that’s the thing I appreciate most about my band is that they stay curious. And again, I feel really lucky that they have committed to this band in the way that they have over the past years.
Sure. Wow, that sounds amazing. So do you really, like, have you really not found yourselves into like a stuck place at some point in your career?
As a band? Yeah, we have. But if anything, it was my fault. You know, because, because…
Humble answer.
Yeah, no, no, it was true. You know, I just got busy with stuff. And I stopped writing tunes and stopped bringing them in. And, you know, we were doing gigs and it worked, right? You know, people like the tunes, we could play the tunes. But I think it’s under the band leader to continue feeding the group, you know. Because everybody’s there to grow and to have a dialogue, but if the subject stays the same, then how can you expect them to really flick their groin? So, yeah, that was my fault, but it won’t happen again.
There you go. How was your week, your residency at the Vanguard this past week?
It was amazing.
What did you guys learn about it? Or what did you learn about those days together?
You know, it’s funny. I’ve played there a lot, but somehow, I hadn’t played with the quartet since 2017 there, you know, since we released the record. And I didn’t realize that until a week before we were going in and I was writing an email, and I was like “hey, man, it’s been, you know, two years”, and I said, “no, let me look back and see when the last time we played together”. It was 2017, which was crazy. So, it was good to be back in there with them. You know, every set was sold out and, you know, got to see some friends. And, you know, it kind of in a great way, it renewed my faith in creative music and improvisation, the power of it a lot. So, yeah, it was really great.
Nice! What do you care for most when you play live? And what’s the purpose behind your music or what beliefs are in the basis of your art? I guess it’s a big question, but give us… share some thoughts, if you will.
For me, I’m not really trying to do anything when I’m performing, you know.
Are you thinking about anything while you perform? Aren’t some concepts going through your mind?
No, at best, no. You know, I think that my role is to be completely gone. You know, it is to let something higher than myself come through me and out of my horn. It’s to show compassion and empathy by listening to other people more than I’m listening to myself. And it’s also, I hope that people come to my show and hear us creating and being 100% ourselves and they feel inspired to be 100% themselves, you know. Like, you know, we’re not up there trying to play…
Authentic?
Yeah, authentic, you know, but authentic with the ugly parts too.
Sure.
Not reaching for perfection, but authenticity, you know. And also seeing that you can hear for people on stage telling their opinions on the subject at the same time, but listening and with love. Yeah, I think that the world can benefit from that lesson.
Definitely. I think we all have to fight against selflessness, you know.
Yeah.
And I think you guys are, you know, putting out some nice art and music and vibes that inspire all of us into, you know, being more loving to others. Congratulations for that, man.
Thank you.
It’s a big thing what you guys all put out and we’re hoping to see that, too. And for sure, I hope people can also grab onto that a little bit, beyond the show.
Yeah.
Well, that’s cool, man, that’s cool. Let’s change subject real quick. Your latest release, honey from a winter stone is beyond interesting, man. What are you most proud of about it?
I’m proud of creating a community. I’m proud of picking the collection of really beautiful people to come together and create, you know. We had fun making this record. Like it was like it was like a party, you know. Hanging out, drinking, cracking jokes and just having a good time. And that’s what I look for also in a gig, you know, tt’s still that. That’s what I remember most. Were hanging, going to get coffee, having drinks on stage, laughing, you know, it feels like a family, a community. So that’s what I’m most proud about with this project. And that’s what I’m most excited about when I think about returning to it.
Thanks for that. Real, real deep words. I like it, I like it. What about musically speaking…, if there’s anything on to it… Are you searching anything lately, musically speaking? I don’t know if that makes sense. But yeah, are you inside of any research musically speaking, or with your horn, with yourself?
With myself? Yeah, with myself, it’s going to sound like I’m joking, but, you know, I’m trying to learn how not to do all of those things that you just named. You know, I’m trying to learn how to how to chill, how to relax. I’m trying to learn the value of doing nothing. I was raised just by my mom, I know my dad, we have a good relationship, but, you know, my mom is from Mississippi, you know, and she picked cotton and she lived a very great life and was very successful. But, in that, she taught me how to work, how to be successful. And now I’m getting to the age where I have to start thinking about how do I endure and how do I last, and legacy, you know. So I’m trying to learn how to rest and I’m trying to learn to value that.
Yeah… Are you having a fight against time?
No, I think I’m OK with that. Like, I got work, man. I work hard. Like, today, I got up at four o’clock, I practiced for two hours, I taught for two hours, I finished a commission for three hours and it’s only two o’clock my time.
Staying busy, I see.
And this is a normal day for me, you know, and it’s not something I’m bragging about, but it’s just how I’m built, you know. And I know that there’s no longevity in that. So, I’m really trying to figure out how to do something different.
Amazing, man. Last question, man. What music are you listening to these days or where are you drawing inspiration from? It can also be a non musical thing. And you already said something around this topic, but, you know, if you could share more on that…
Yeah, I’m drawing more than ever in my life, that I can remember, I’m drawing inspiration from community and people and especially elders and especially human beings who, again, present all of themselves, not just the good times and the good things about them. I want to see the ugly, raw, nasty parts of people, and I feel really inspired when people are beautifully like that more than ever. And, yeah, it’s really just that. And, you know, I will say, you know, I think also you’re catching me at a time that is really, really new to me. Because tomorrow is my birthday and recently my mother passed away, so this is going to be my first…
Sorry for that.
That’s all good, tank you.
And so, it’s going to be my first birthday without my mom, you know, and I was very close and I spent the last year…, yeah actually since last May taking care of her, you know. I found her on the floor…, and it was a whole year of fighting and fighting and fighting. So, and it made me realize a lot of things about life and human connection and beauty and all these things. So, I’ve been reevaluating what all this is for, more than ever. So, yeah. So, I’m finding a lot of inspiration.
And have you found any answer, or are you cool in the big questions?
I haven’t…, I haven’t found any answers, but I am finding inspiration in people who are living fully. Beautifully, you know. And that is, yeah, that’s something that’s really nice.
What signs have you found of a full life in these people? Like I guess…
It’s more, it’s more the honesty and integrity. It’s more the present presentation of who you are, the full range of who we can be, you know. Especially in the face…
Transparence?
Transparent, but in the face of society now, you know. On social media you’re told to just present the good parts, you’re smiling, the good angles and all this other stuff. But what about the days where you don’t feel like getting out of bed, or the days you don’t feel inspired.
Yeah, definitely.
You know, so I’m really loving people who talk about those things just as comfortably as they talk about the good days, you know. Because it’s the same shit, you know. It’s…, you know, we’re human!
There you go, live involves all of it.
Yep, exactly. And that’s the music. That’s the way I want my music to sound. Like, I don’t…, I’m not trying to create recordings that are perfect and… No. I want my recordings to sound like life, you know.
And us, listeners can actually, you know, feel that. So I tell you, man, thank you, thank you for living your life like you’re doing and for sharing all these experiences and thoughts. As you were saying you’re going through a process where you’re re-evaluating live in general and that is something I feel like we should all do at all times. Maybe in a more deeper way at some point in life, right. But you know it’s real great to hear you talk about all this stuff, I really appreciate it man.
Thank you.
Yeah, thanks again for tuning in, man. It’s been a pleasure. This was Ambrose Akinmusire talking about loads of interesting stuff. Man, thank you. People will be able to listen to you and your band live at the Teatro Lara in Madrid. We hope all these words can also inspire people in order to go and meet you too, that day, that night. Monday 26th of May, that’s gonna be the date in Madrid and we’re all excited for that. Pull up y’all, it’s gonna great for sure. Thank you again, Ambrose. Thank you, really.
Thank you.
It was beautiful to listen to you man. Peace and love and I’ll pray for you, man. It was interesting to hear your talk.
Of course, man.
See you!! Goodbye, man. Thank you so much.
Thank you, talk to you soon!
Have a good day, man.
You too.
